April 11, 2015

Today we celebrate:

National Cheese Fondue Day – Originating in Switzerland sometime in the 1700's, it endures today because, as everyone knows, cheese makes everything taste better.

Eight Track Tape Day – I know I'm dating myself, but I remember having these wonderful musical devices from the 1960's and 70's when I was a child. My parents probably still have our 8-track collection and our 8-track tape player, which may or may not still work. My favorite one, which I listened to over and over was the Magic of Abba. Sadly, my children have never even seen one of these tapes, let alone held one in their hands.

Barbershop Quartet Day – Barbershop Quartets have been around for a very long time. Their popularity was kind of dying out and you didn't see or hear of them as much, so on this day in 1938, 26 people gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma and formed the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America.  Now, you have to look for them, they don’t hang out at barbershops anymore, but if you want to I’m sure you can find a quartet to serenade you.

National Submarine Day – On this day in 1900, the United States Navy commissioned its’ first modern submarine for a price of $150,000. It started out being called Submarine Torpedo Boat #1 and was eventually named USS Holland (SS-1).  Holland refers to the name of the inventor, John P. Holland, not the name of a country.

International “Louie Louie” Day – On this day in 1935, Richard Berry was born. I’m sure a lot of other people were born that day too, but Mr. Berry was special because he later composed “Louie Louie”, a song that is considered by some to be the best party song of all time.  A song that no one seems to know the lyrics to, except for the “Louie Louie” part.

National Pet Day – This day was created by Colleen Paige (You may recognize her name from yesterday's National Farm Animals Day. She orchestrated a bunch of animal related celebration days.). This is a day that will hopefully inspire you to help out the over-crowded, under-staffed and under-funded animal shelters all over the country. Thousands of animals are killed in shelters every year because no one wants them and there's not enough money or room to keep them all at the shelters for the rest of their natural lives.  Save a pet today and adopt one from a shelter so it can have a loving, forever family.

World Parkinson's Disease Day – Named after Dr. James Parkinson, it is estimated that 6.3 million people suffer with Parkinson's Disease in this world. Today is a day to wear a red tulip to raise awareness of the disease and show support for all those suffering with it and their families.  This day is celebrated all over the world with special events.

Slow Art Day - Celebrated on the second Saturday of April, this is a day to slow down and really look at the art you come across today.  If you take time to look closely at art, you will discover depth and nuances that you would normally miss in our hurry up world.

Baby Massage Day – Also on the second Saturday in April, this is a day to learn how to massage your baby.  If done correctly, I have heard tell that it can help babies with a whole host of issues such as sleeping problems, colic, constipation, and fussiness.  Plus, it’s a great way of forming strong, positive connections with your baby.

To celebrate today, wear a red tulip to show your support of Parkinson’s sufferers when you go out to hand your local Barbershop Quartet a note asking them to sing “Louie Louie” while you have cheese fondue with your lunch.  Then, visit an art museum and take your time really looking carefully at the art.  Next, walk your pet to the shore to look for submarines.  Look carefully, they are hard to spot.  Finally, dig around in your boxes of “stuff” and see if you can find your old eight track tapes to show your kids before you give your baby a massage to relax him/her before bed.